Regarding the Rangers, tied at 1-all against the Penguins with Game 3 set for the Garden on Tuesday:

1. Brady Skjei’s ability to play his off, right side and to play it well, noted by Alain Vigneault during Sunday’s conference call with the press, was the most noteworthy development of the third period of the Blueshirts’ impressive 4-2 Game 2 victory in Pittsburgh — for the both the short-term and long-term.

The 22-year-old rookie pro, who has displayed the poise and respectfully cocky edge to match his skating ability, looks like he belongs on the stage. Skjei, who played his natural left side paired primarily with Dan Boyle through his seven-game cameo during the regular season and through most of the first games of the series, played several quite capable shifts on the right side over the final 20 minutes as the Blueshirts sought to protect their lead.

The move was made for two reasons. First, Vigneault wanted to minimize Dylan McIlrath’s exposure. McIlrath, who steadied nicely after a couple of jittery opening shifts, got only 2:12 of his total 9:07 in the final period. Second, Kevin Klein spent seven minutes in the box (plus 42 seconds waiting for a whistle to grant him release) after coming to the aid of Marc Staal after his partner had been viciously slashed by Chris Kunitz at 11:43.

Skjei got approximately 4:45 on the right of his 6:54 in the third and 19:02 overall, teamed primarily with Staal but also took a turn with Keith Yandle. Earlier in the period he played the right side while righty Klein claimed the left. And he did just fine.

For the immediate future, the Minnesota Golden Gopher’s ability to adapt provides Vigneault with another option if left-sider Ryan McDonagh is able to return and the coach wants/needs to change up on the right.

Longer-term, if Skjei could make the switch to the right side, that would open a spot on the left and theoretically enable the club to keep Yandle, a pending free agent, off the market and on Broadway.

That’s why Skjei’s successful move to the right side — even if it consisted of a very small sample size — was so significant.

2. If it isn’t J.T. Miller who has come the furthest since the beginning of the season, then it is certainly Viktor Stalberg, who has emerged as an extremely astute free-agent signing by general manager Jeff Gorton.

Stalberg earlier this year.NHLI via Getty Images

Stalberg, the 30-year-old on a one-year, $1.1 million deal, is consistently rubbing people out and consistently rubbing the Penguins the wrong way. His sandpaper game — aided and abetted by speed and power — has irritated Pittsburgh. He looks like the player he was when he contributed meaningfully to the Blackhawks’ 2013 Cup champions before it went wrong in Nashville.

3. Isn’t it time to at least consider getting Eric Staal off the wing and into the middle, where he has played almost all of his career and at which he has the best chance to succeed?

The 31-year-old pre-deadline acquisition from Carolina, who’s been banged up pretty much since he was plowed into the wall by Matt Martin late in the first period of the March 6 Garden match against the Islanders, was shaken up again late in Saturday’s third period on a hit from Kris Letang.

It may be true Kevin Hayes is more comfortable at center than right wing, but at this juncture, it would seem the priority would be to maximize Staal’s contributions. Of course, Vigneault could at some point replace Hayes in the lineup with Oscar Lindberg, but we wouldn’t want to stray too far in an alternate reality.

4. Each of Mike Sullivan’s three immediate predecessors behind the Pittsburgh bench — Michel Therrien, followed by Dan Bylsma, followed by Mike Johnston — has intermittently played Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby on the same line, so the temptation must be overwhelming. Sullivan united the pair for 6:48 upon Malkin’s return on Saturday, some of that because Kunitz was in the box.

As challenging a matchup as that combination (plus the formidable Patric Hornqvist) presents, it would seem a more complex problem if the duo were split and Vigneault were forced to match against them on separate lines.

5. Game 2 referees Marc Joannette and Steve Kozari were hazardous to the Rangers’ health.